


Shieldmaiden

by cosmic_llin



Series: Right Here By My Side: An Ada/Hecate Pre-Canon Timeline [3]
Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Possibly Unrequited Love, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-23
Packaged: 2019-05-27 09:37:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15021806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmic_llin/pseuds/cosmic_llin
Summary: Hecate’s blood boiled. She’d be damned if she’d stand by and let Ada be hurt. If for whatever reason she felt embarrassed not to be in a relationship at the moment, then Hecate would fix it.Hecate and Ada bump into Ada's evil ex.Written for Week 2 of the Hackle Summer Trope Challenge.





	Shieldmaiden

Hecate was already regretting allowing Ada to coax her into attending this conference. It was too crowded, too noisy, and when she’d been waiting her turn to get a cup of tea this morning, a glamorous witch with cascades of blond curls had given her a look she was almost certain had been contemptuous.

She felt out of place here in a way she almost never did any more at Cackle’s. Nobody here dressed like she did, talked like she did. At Cackle’s, where after nearly ten years everyone seemed entirely used to her, she sometimes forgot she was different. Here every witch she saw reminded her how peculiar she must look next to them.

That said, she had to admit that the programming was interesting. The subject of the conference was Developments in Magical Techniques for Covens - an important topic for teachers to keep up with - and she and Ada had just left a fascinating talk on recent discoveries in chanting science. Once they emerged into the airy hotel lobby, Hecate had offered to fetch them both glasses of water, while Ada headed over to chat with the other attendees.

‘My goodness, Aaaaada,’ drawled a voice across the room.

Hecate looked up halfway through pouring the water. The voice belonged to the witch who had sneered at her in the queue for tea earlier. She was standing opposite Ada and looking her up and down with an air of amusement. Hecate’s fist clenched.

‘Melandrina,’ said Ada stiffly.

‘What an unexpected delight to see you here,’ the woman continued. ‘I didn’t think you got much chance to leave your little school.’

Ada smiled. To anyone else it would have looked merely pleasant and polite, but Hecate saw even from this distance the way her mouth tightened at the corners.

‘Oh, they let me out now and then, for special occasions, you know,’ Ada said lightly.

‘I’m so glad, darling,’ Melandrina said. ‘One mustn’t let oneself get stuck in a rut. Of course, _I’ve_ been quite rushed off my feet recently. I’ve only just returned from my stay with Gloria - you know, Gloria Spellstar, the famous singer - she and I have been seeing rather a lot of each other, quite exhilarating to be rushing from city to city, staying at all the best hotels, but it does make one appreciate the chance to slow down a little and spend some time in more mundane pursuits…

Ada didn’t respond. Hecate saw the slight shudder in her shoulders.

‘And what about you, Ada, darling?’ Melandrina asked. ‘I do hope you haven’t been _too_ hideously lonely since we last saw each other… I know how hard it can be to find companionship when you’re as isolated as you are and the dating pool is… so shallow.’

Hecate bristled. How dare this woman speak to Ada like that?

Ada looked startled, momentarily at a loss for words. No gentle reproach, no amused rejoinder.

She hadn’t been seeing anyone in a while, that was true. If it bothered her, she’d never mentioned it to Hecate. But she flinched from Melandrina’s words as though they had the power to cut her.

Hecate’s blood boiled. She’d be damned if she’d stand by and let Ada be hurt. If for whatever reason she felt embarrassed not to be in a relationship at the moment, then Hecate would fix it.

She transferred herself directly to Ada’s side, appearing so suddenly that Melandrina startled.

‘I’m sorry I was so long, Ada… dear,’ she said, passing her the glass of water with a hand that shook.

There. That was ambiguous enough that Ada could dismiss it as merely friendly if she preferred (Ada had certainly called Hecate “dear” before, although this was the first time Hecate had been brave enough to reciprocate) or run with the implication, as she chose.

Melandrina looked at Hecate as though she’d never seen anything so ridiculous.

‘Is this the kind of witch you’re hanging around with these days, Ada?’ she asked. ‘I didn’t realise your tastes were so… old-fashioned.’

In her mouth, with her look of disgust, it sounded like the worst insult imaginable.

Ada’s arm slipped around Hecate’s waist and pulled her close. Hecate stifled a jump, her skin tingling at Ada’s touch.

‘Integrity and loyalty never go out of style,’ Ada said mildly. ‘Let’s go, Hecate. I’m getting tired of the atmosphere in here.’

She turned and Hecate turned with her, and they walked together out of the double doors and into the hallway.

‘Oh, Hecate, I’m so sorry!’ Ada said, the moment they were alone, stepping back to give Hecate space. ‘I shouldn’t have let her think… what she thought… I don’t care what she thinks of _me_ , or whether she imagines I’m still pining after her, but I got so angry when she insulted you! I didn’t want her to think I thought you were unworthy and I suppose I just… got carried away.’

‘I _am_ a little old-fashioned,’ Hecate pointed out reasonably. ‘You’ve said so often enough yourself.’

‘Yes, but I’ve never meant it unkindly. It’s one of the things I love about you.’

Hecate’s heart fluttered. One of the things Ada _loved_ about her.

‘Well…’ said Ada, breaking the awkward silence. ‘What would you like to do? If it makes you uncomfortable, we can just come clean to Melandrina, say this was all a silly misunderstanding…’

‘No!’ Hecate said. ‘Ada, it’s obvious she wants to show you up, to gain the upper hand. Now that we’ve… stumbled into this deception, we must continue it. To admit a lie could make you look foolish in front of the other witches here. I refuse to allow that.’

Ada beamed. ‘Hecate, I think you’re the best friend I’ve ever had,’ she said. ‘I’ll make it up to you somehow, when we get back home.’

‘There’s no need,’ said Hecate, looking down so that Ada wouldn’t see her blush.

‘Now,’ said Ada. ‘I don’t think there’s any need to be ostentatious about it. If we’re too handsy it’ll just look obvious that we’re putting it on. So if we don’t want to act any differently than normal, we really don’t have to. This is a professional event, after all.’

‘Yes,’ said Hecate. ‘Yes, of course, you’re right. I’m sure that’s best.’

It took her until halfway through the next programme item to realise that the complicated tangle of feelings Ada’s words had provoked was at least partly disappointment. Of course she was relieved that she needn’t act any differently than usual - but for a moment she’d had visions of holding hands with Ada where everyone could see, and it had felt… like something she might want to try.

As it was, Ada shot Hecate plenty of glances and smiles throughout the day, but since that was the kind of thing she did a lot anyway, it was hardly any different. Even if Hecate’s heart was still beating faster at the idea that anyone _might_ think they were together.

When the day’s programming ended, they headed up to the twin room they were sharing, and as Hecate summoned the key from the ether, Melandrina came up the stairs behind them and went to let herself into the next room.

She said nothing, but she gave Hecate a sidelong glance that spoke volumes.

Hecate felt Ada tense beside her. She let them into the room and closed the door firmly behind them. Ada paced back and forth between the beds.

‘Why does she have to be so close?’ she muttered. ‘I can’t relax, knowing she’s there.’

‘This does give us easy access, should we wish to poison her,’ Hecate pointed out, deadpan.

Ada snorted. ‘Possibly a bridge too far,’ she said. ‘But we could jump on one of the beds and make sex noises to make her jealous?’

Hecate’s mouth opened in horror.

‘Or maybe not,’ Ada said regretfully. ‘You’re right. I’m letting spite get the better of me.’

‘It’s not like you,’ Hecate said.

Ada sighed, and sat down heavily on her bed. After a moment, Hecate sat beside her.

‘Ada…’ she said. ‘What happened between you and Melandrina? When I’ve met your ex-partners before, you’ve always seemed to get along well.’

‘I _do_ , with most of them,’ said Ada. ‘It’s just Melandrina. I was young and naive when we met and I… revealed so much of myself to her without ever quite realising that she wasn’t doing the same in return. I told her how scared I was that I’d go from student to teacher without ever experiencing the rest of the world, how uncertain I felt about my relationship with Agatha, all of my secret fears and doubts… she can be so charming, so overwhelming, when she wants to be. She swept me off my feet, and it was only when she started to get bored of me that I began to realise I wasn’t flying, but drowning.’

‘Oh, Ada…’

‘And then she slept with my sister.’

‘ _Oh_.’

‘They didn’t even really like each other. They both knew they were only doing it to hurt me. I forgave Agatha - it was a turbulent time for both of us, and she’d been through so much. I couldn’t blame her for being angry. But Melandrina… it took me a long time to get over her. And when I saw her again today… I suppose I just froze.’

‘You’re older and wiser now,’ said Hecate. ‘You don’t have to let her hurt you.’

‘I know. I… it just brought everything rushing back. Not just about our relationship but about everything I was struggling with then, my fears about my future…’

Ada fell silent.

‘You don’t regret staying at Cackle’s, do you?’ Hecate asked in a small voice.

‘Oh, Hecate - no! Not for a moment! I just… it was what was expected of me. And in the end, I chose it for myself, but for a while I felt as though I _had_ no choice. And I wished I could just _try_ something else, anything else.’

‘What would you have done, do you think? If you hadn’t been a teacher?’

Ada smiled, looking down at her knees. ‘You’ll think it’s silly.’

‘Try me.’

‘I always… part of me always wondered if I could have been an artist. A painter, or maybe a sculptor. But I never had the chance to take lessons, and the drawings I made on my own were never very good… it’s been years since I even tried. It’s not as if it matters now. My life is so full, how could I want more?’

‘There’s no rule against a deputy headmistress picking up a paintbrush,’ Hecate said gently.

‘Oh, nobody would want to see anything I’d painted.’

‘I would.’

Ada looked up, met her eyes, and Hecate held her gaze, hoping that Ada could see how truly she meant it.

‘Thank you, Hecate,’ Ada said at last. ‘Perhaps you’re right. Maybe when we get back home I’ll look into ordering some art supplies.’

‘Why not?’ said Hecate.

‘In the meantime,’ said Ada, ‘we just have to get through the next day with Melandrina.’

Hecate rolled her eyes. ‘Forget about her for now. Let’s just enjoy our evening. We’ll order room service cake, put our pyjamas on and just chat.’

‘You always know exactly what to say to cheer me up,’ said Ada. ‘That sounds perfect.’

And if the sounds of their laughter disturbed Melandrina late into the night, it was merely a welcome side-effect.


End file.
